Form of words:
New Delhi: In the all-party meeting convened on Thursday to discuss the Afghanistan crisis, the Modi government got the support of Shiv Sena on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
During the meeting, Shiv Sena, an ally of Congress in Maharashtra, demanded that Afghan Hindus and Sikhs be given Indian citizenship under the CAA law.
“There are many Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities who are being driven out of Afghanistan and brought to India. The government introduced the CAA law, so we have demanded that they should be given citizenship under it,” Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar told ThePrint.
“In the meeting also I raised this issue and said that it is a good thing that minorities are being safely evacuated from Afghanistan and they should be given citizenship. We have given our support to the CAA.”
The Shiv Sena’s remarks by Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said the recent developments in India’s volatile neighborhood and how Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time, is precisely why it was necessary to enact the CAA.
Shiv Sena had supported the CAA bill in the Lok Sabha in 2019 when it came up for passage. abstain from voting In Rajya Sabha accused the government of doing politics on it. A few weeks later, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray defended It is saying, “No one needs to be scared about CAA”.
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The government is following the policy of ‘wait and watch’
In the meeting, attended by 37 leaders from 31 parties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the floor leaders on the situation in Afghanistan.
According to sources, the government Told the party leaders that it is currently following a ‘wait and watch’ policy and the main focus is on evacuating people from the troubled country.
However, sources said, the Congress asked why the External Affairs Minister, not the Prime Minister, briefed the floor leaders.
A source said the Congress also asked whether Atal Bihari Vajpayee had informed about the all-party meeting held on September 15 and September 30, 2001, after the US invasion of Afghanistan.
What other party leaders said
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said that his party does not support the CAA and the government should not use it to highlight the plight of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan.
Roy told Jaishankar that in view of the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, the central government should hold a meeting on CAA.
“I said there are different views on CAA in the country. Not everyone supports it. Trinamool Congress wants the government to hold a meeting on CAA in the context of the situation in Afghanistan,” Roy told ThePrint.
He also said that the TMC gave a list of 125 residents of West Bengal who are currently stranded in Afghanistan and requested Jaishankar to expedite their evacuation.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he asked why there was no contingency plan and whether India got support from the US.
“I inquired about Afghan nationals working in the Indian embassy and consulate and why they were not fired,” he told ThePrint.
Several MPs also raised the issue of Kashmir and the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on it.
“There is a great concern about the escalation of terrorism affecting the regional security situation and the challenges arising from the re-emergence of the Taliban and its terrorist ties. Several MPs raised the issue in the meeting and said that strict measures need to be taken,” said another source.
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